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Dick Vitale broadcasts prior to the West Coast Conference tournament semifinals between the San Francisco Dons and the Gonzaga Bulldogs on March 9, 2020.
CNN –
ESPN analyst Dick Vitale says he has been diagnosed with vocal cord cancer.
“I’m sorry to tell you that today Dr. (Steven) Zeitels received a difficult message down my throat,” Vitale said wrote on Twitter. “The tests on the removed tissues revealed that I have vocal cord cancer and will need six weeks of radiation to treat it. dr Z tells me that the cure rate is extremely high and that radiation, not surgery, is the best way.
“I plan to fight like hell to be ready to call the games when college hoops season starts in the fall. dr Z thinks this scenario is entirely possible. I want to say that I was so touched by the tweets, texts, notes and prayers and will ask you all to keep sending out positive vibes.”
One of the most recognizable voices in US sports, Vitale, known for his bombastic style and love of the game, previously struggled with lymphoma and melanoma.
In 2021, he announced he was suffering from lymphoma, having already undergone multiple surgeries to remove melanoma before announcing last year that he was finally cancer-free.
However, the 84-year-old revealed that after tests at the hospital, a pathology report concluded he had vocal cord cancer and said he plans to “win this battle like I did against melanoma and lymphoma!” ”
“This time last year I was on the ESPYS stage asking everyone to help in the fight against cancer. This terrible disease afflicts so many of our loved ones and now it’s knocking on my door three times. Further research will continue to be helpful in this fight.”
Last year, Vitale was honored at the ESPYs as the winner of the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance — the award is named after Vitale’s longtime friend Jim Valvano, another coach-turned-analyst who died of cancer.
Vitale added, “I am grateful to my immediate family as well as my ESPN family for their incredible support and appreciate the amazing team of medical professionals whose dedication has had such a positive impact on so many lives.”
According to Johns Hopkins, an estimated 10,000 cases of vocal cord cancer are diagnosed in the United States each year.